Fr. Richard Henkes, S.A.C., A Picture of His Life A Picture of His Life | Page 11

fice, Richard’s charity was most exemplified. He noticed who received
many parcels and who never got a package. He himself was among
those who was often sent a package.
In one of the secret letters home, he mentioned who one could
send packages to in order for it to be redistributed to others. The
Chaplain of Salz, who had been brought to Dachau, was not worried
if someone sent him packages and had them passed along to someone
else. This example of generosity is a small one, but it shows the charac-
ter of Richard Henkes. He was known for sharing his food - without
regard for the person. Fr. Henkes also got many packages from the
Westerwald, Silesia, the Hultschiner Ländchen, and especially Stran-
dorf. There, the beloved priest, who it was hoped would return soon,
was not forgotten. Time and again Richard Henkes could send his
mother the message: “I am physically well. My parish cares for me.”
Then, one day, his time in the post office ended. The SS removed all
the priests, as their care and solidarity had been noticed. As a punish-
ment, Richard Henkes was sent to the transport command - a worse
and more dangerous assignment. Here, the dead were brought daily
to the gathering place where medical experiments were carried out on
the corpses. All the rubbish and dirt had to be taken away by the men
of the command. They also had to place the clothes in the disinfection
chambers. You had to be extremely careful not to get infected with a
disease.
Richard Henkes worked hard to get this work assignment behind
him. Perhaps his attitude, which he had developed during his time in
the post office, now somehow benefited him. In any case, the change
of assignment would not have succeeded without good connections.
He was next assigned as a cafeteria host to barracks 17. This in-
spired his exchange of ideas with Josef Beran, who also lived with
him in Block 26. In barracks 17, he had more time for his Czech
studies, often being joined by the foreign prisoners in the block. It
was through his studies with these men that he grew to overcome
distrust and barriers while also deepening his knowledge of the Czech
language. He also continued to share his food packages.
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